Steamforger Wilbur nodded lightly once Lone had finished detailing exactly what had happened to Grimsley. "Trust a boy like him to mess up a Djinn's wish. He was even warned to be precise with the wording beforehand. Ha, well at least he survived."

"... You don't seem as concerned as I'd have expected," Lone noted.

Steamforger Wilbur shrugged. "Death's inevitable, boy. Ye don't live to be my age at my rank without accepting that sooner or later. Everyone returns to the Stone eventually only to be forgotten as time flows ever forward. Well, most of us, anyway."

The old dwarf stared at the corpse of his wife with a happy and content expression on his face. "If he'd have died, he'd have died fulfilled. Always a restless lad that Grimsley doing one thing after another, never letting himself grow lazy. No dwarf becomes a topsider if they aren't ready to die."

'It'd probably be rude of me to point out that Soph has a unique skill that literally makes her immune to death, huh?' Lone chuckled internally. 'I do wonder how old he is though. Dwarves can live until they're 500-years-old or so at I-rank if I recall correctly, can't they?'

Regardless of his thoughts, Lone asked, "So... how will the apprenticeship work?"

Steamforger Wilbur slowly stood up then headed for a side door. "Come with me. I need to see how good ye actually are at smithing first. Skills can only do so much to help, after all. Creativity is very important when steamforging so if ye're solely relying on yer Blacksmithing skill then I'll be sorely disappointed in Grimsley's ability to teach."

"Ah, sure," Lone answered a little bit nervously.

Immediately upon entering the forging room Lone was blown away by how... magnificently bronze it all was. "Is this a steamforged artefact?" he asked, gesturing to the forge itself.

Steamforger Wilbur nodded. "Everything in this room is. The forge, the anvil, the tools. Even the walls. All of it. Ye'll be expected to use steamforged equipment to do ordinary blacksmithing, by the way. If ye break anything, and I mean anything, ye're paying double the cost-price to replace it. Ye understand?"

'For the chance to use these awesome gadgets and gizmos? You can bet your fuckin' left bollock I understand,' Lone thought in excitement. "Yes, Sir."

"None of that 'Sir' nonsense. I ain't no knight. Call me Will or Gramps, either will do," the old dwarf claimed as he started searching through a box at the side of the room.

"Gramps then. You're certainly old enough," Lone joked with a laugh.

"Old enough? Boy, I'm old enough to be yer grandad's grandad's grandad. Well, maybe not since ye're a beastkin but ye get my point," he answered as he pulled out a pair of mechanical gloves, a hammer, a set of tongs and some iron ore. "Now, boy, show me what ye can do with a forge made by yers truly."

Steamforger Wilbur used the glasses Lone had been gifted by Grimsley as he appraised the longsword Lone had just spent the last hour making. "Fast work but overall shabby quality. Ye sure ye're at the intermediate rank for Blacksmithing? Hell, the wooden haft is of better quality than the metal, boy. That says a lot since I only buy iron ore of a purity of at least 60%. How did ye fuck this up?"

Lone scratched his head as he wore a helpless expression. "I learn very quickly but you're right. I spent a lot more time carving every item I made from wood since it's a lot more... relaxed? Smithing needs a lot of focus. I guess I just rely on the skill heavily and leave it on autopilot?"

"Well, it's time to beat that habit out of ye. I don't care if it takes you two-minutes or two-days if a blade's good it'll sell. If it's shit, it needs to be melted down and reforged to not waste the metal. This is gonna be tough... I've never met anyone who got past beginner rank yet didn't know a thing about smithing," Steamforger Wilbur remarked.

He inspected the blade a bit more before snapping the metal from the wooden haft with his bare hands. He then threw it into the still-roaring fire of the forge. "Again. I want to see some improvement. I don't care how skilled ye are at learning the skills themselves, I want to see some real quality not coming from the Blacksmithing skill before the day's over."

He cracked his neck then approached the forge. "I'll guide ye verbally this time. Let's see if I can still teach, eh? It's been over a century since I last had an apprentice who wasn't already well-learned."

Lone smiled wryly but joy could be seen hidden under his eyes. "Thank you, I'll try my best to do as you instruct."

Lone lay flat on his and Soph's bed in the Rusty Sprocket after having just had a deep and lengthy bath. In front of his eyes lay a series of skills.

Passive Skill: Blacksmithing A skill that allows the host to craft with metal 15% faster and 15% more skillfully. Cost: N/A Mastery: Intermediate Level 10 [Up by 2 levels] Passive Skill: Woodworking A skill that allows the host to craft with wood 5% faster and 5% more skillfully. Cost: N/A Mastery: Beginner Level 8 [Up by 3 levels]

Both of these skills had levelled up, much to Lone's surprise. He'd only forged and reforged the same sword over and over again.

He'd done similar things in Grimsley's smithy but the skill took days and days to gain a new level back then. Of course, even that was far faster than a normal person who took months upon months to level a crafting skill, even in the early stages.

"Gramps must have taught a lot of people in his life..." Lone mumbled. "I actually feel like I understand smithing better... Still, I'm nothing compared to Grimsley or him but I'm glad. Progress is good..."

The final skill Lone was looking was new and he'd picked it up about halfway through the day's lesson.

Passive Skill: Steamforged Tool Mastery

A skill that allows the host to use steamforged artefacts 5% more skillfully.

Gives the host a 1% chance to immediately understand the method to use a steamforged artefact the first time the host holds it.

Cost: N/A Mastery: Beginner Level 2

Lone loved this skill. Granted, it wasn't the skill Steamforging, which was just the more tech-focused version of Blacksmithing according to Steamforger Wilbur, but it was related and it scratched that itch he had for all things steamforged. "I wonder if Gramps will let me touch all of the steamforged artefacts he has on display in his shop... Maybe I can train the skill if I do..."

"Who's 'Gramps'?" a sweet voice asked as Soph appeared in the middle of the room, fully clad in Sophie's armour.

Lone glanced up from the bed at her and answered, "My boss. He's this super old dwarf. How did your and Breena's day go?"

Soph started taking off her armour as she replied, "Mmm... boring? Nobody wanted to bother Sophie since, well, you know. Full armour is intimidating for a town mostly filled with miners. Hardened miners, but miners all the same. And we're the same height or taller than most of them in our 15-year-old body. She swapped out with me and I secretly practised Unique Magic: Barrier Magic. The shopkeeper's a little... odd but he's a nice man."

"That's good," Lone said before he suddenly winced. "Unique Magic: Barrier Magic... That just sounds wrong. Call it Barrier Magic from now on, would you? That's a far better name for the skill than its full one."

"Mmm, 'kay. I don't mind," Soph answered as she finishing slipping out of her armour. "Well, anyway, I didn't gain any levels in it but I'm slowly starting to understand the skill... I think."

"That's great. And, Breena? How'd she do?" Lone asked.

Soph crawled onto the bed and snuggled up to a tail or two as she shifted her body into its child form. "She was quiet as usual but the tailor didn't seem to mind. He showed Breena to a corner of the store that had some books and practise materials in it. She's to get to at least a beginner level of proficiency in sewing by the end of the week. She doesn't need to earn a skill though so she'll be fine... I, uh, I think."

"That's good," Lone said as he closed his eyes and softly stroked her head. "Hey, Soph."

"Hmm?" The girl peered up at him with those big emerald green eyes of her's inquisitively.

Lone smiled warmly. "I love this city. Ignoring the strange things going on in the background, this place is a million times better than Milindo and Ranton."

Soph shook her head. "No, it's not."

"Huh?" Lone was confused. There was no way Soph preferred the speciesist and hateful country of humans so he patiently waited for her to explain.

Soph pouted before grinning. "It's a billion times better!"

"... Haha, right. It sure is," Lone answered with a surprised chuckle. "I love you, Soph. Sophie too if you're awake and listening."

"I love you too!" Soph replied enthusiastically. "And, um, she is awake... She's mumbling about you being an idiot."

"Nothing new," Lone said with a smirk.

As soon as Lone walked into Steamforger Wilbur's storefront the dwarf immediately asked him, "Boy, ye got any skills that help ye with sales?"

Lone raised an eyebrow. "That's vague. I assume you mean something that would help convince customers to buy stuff? Or do you mean something to attract customers in the first place?"

"The former," Steamforger Wilbur said.

Lone sighed in relief. "Good. I, unfortunately, don't have an Attractive Neon Sign skill," he joked. "I've got Persuasion at intermediate-level-two and Acting at advanced-level-two."

"Advanced?" Steamforger Wilbur was surprised. "Did ye use to be a thespian or something?"

Lone shrugged. "Acted like a slave to keep eyes off of me for quite some time."

"Ah, I've been there. Got the skill myself though it's only beginner-level-four. Anyway, yer Persuasion is higher than mine. Today's payday for most of the city's residents so I'm expecting a lot of customers unlike yesterday," the old dwarf explained.

He pulled up a stack of forms and handed them to Lone. "And this is all of the order commissions due to be collected and paid for today. I want ye to man the shop today. You've got no talent for smithing. Not yet, at least. If ye can get through these with no more than one complaint and sell three items off the shelves then I'll consider hiring ye worth it. After all, Ye're doing nothing but costing me money when it comes to smithing. Can't teach ye on kindness alone."

Lone frowned. "I don't really mind but that was only one day. I'm confident I'll be useful given a few more."

"And you'll have the time to prove it, but today, ye sit behind this counter and ye sell shit while I work in the forge. Got it?" Steamforger Wilbur asked with a no-nonsense attitude.

Lone smiled. "Got it, Gramps."

"Good lad," Steamforger Wilbur answered as he slapped Lone's wrist supportively.

"Absolutely riveting work today, darling," a very well-dressed elf with short ears and slightly darkened skin said to Soph.

"Uh, thanks. It wasn't hard..." she answered timidly. "Only two people got angry so it was, uh, pretty simple to scare them off, Mister Fits'war."

The elf before her smiled kindly. "Oh, no, please, don't sell yourself short. These brutes don't know how to repair their own clothes let alone make anything even moderately fashionable. Male or female, a dwarf is always the same. I'm so thankful you and little Breena are in the krieg. I had to turn away over 10 other adventurers who signed up for the job before you, you know? All Stone Dwarves and all of whom simply refused to take a bath more than once a week."

Soph stood awkwardly. She liked her employer but he was very... effeminate. She wasn't used to such a personality coming from a man so it put her on edge a little. "Um, I'm happy I could help. I-Is Breena also ready?"

"Oh, I almost forgot! Poor thing. She almost blends in with the shadows. I left her to reorganise the stockroom and come out when it was closing time. The silly girl must have lost track of time. I'll go get her now. Thank you for reminding me. She's very quiet but what a diligent worker that girl is. I can see the makings of a simply fabulous tailor within her!" And with that enthusiasm supporting Mister Fits'war, he went into the back room of the store.

Soph sighed, "He's hard to deal with..."

'Compared to Lone? The man's a little strange but when stacked up against our complicated lover, well, it's like comparing a sword to a trebuchet,' Sophie replied mentally.

Soph cocked her head in confusion. "What?"

Sophie would have rolled her eyes were she in control. 'One's complex, the other is not.'

Soph frowned. "Lone's not complicated he's just... special."

'If you say so,' Sophie replied. 'Anyway, we assume you are excited to return to the inn and show off your progress with Barrier Magic to Lone, no?'

Soph nodded quickly. "Mmm, I am! He's going to be so proud of me!"

Not long later Mister Fits'war returned with Breena and both she and Soph left, returning to the Rusty Sprocket after having completed their second day of work as adventurers who weren't adventuring.